The elimination of the
multiaxial system of evaluation (5 axes) that provided a biopsychosocial perspective (mental, medical, psychosocial, and adaptive functioning) has reduced the contextual strength of the DSM.
The DSM-5 moves from a
multiaxial system to a single axis format.
It describes the
multiaxial system based on the factors that may be contributing to a child's problems.
2- DSM-5 eliminated the
multiaxial system from DSM-III and IV and will be using only a single Axis, consistent with ICD criteria.
In this text, the fresh perspective on the DSM allows the Adlerian practitioner to easily fit a nonpathologizing philosophy into the
multiaxial system of the DSM.
Adding an Axis VI to the DSM's current
multiaxial system, an axis that can be reflective of practitioners' theoretical perspectives, has also been proposed.
evaluation of the
multiaxial system of ICD-10 (preliminary draft): correlations between multiaxial assessment and clinical judgements of aetiology, treatment indication and prognosis.
Use of the
multiaxial system provides a comprehensive and systematic patient evaluation with attention to various medical disorders, general medical conditions, and psychosocial and environmental problems, yielding an overall level of functioning that might otherwise be overlooked if the focus were on assessing a single presenting problem.